After fifteen years of trying, still nothing is being done about Rait Castle. For the latest news click
here

The ruins of Rait Castle, two miles south of Nairn

Protected? Or unprotected?

Rait
Castle stands two miles south of the highland town of Nairn, itself
about sixteen miles east of Inverness.

The building is clearly visible to travellers on the A939 - if they know
where to look.

Technically Rait is not a
castle but a 'hall
house', a style common in the 13th century. Rait is one of only a handful
of such castles still standing in Scotland, and the only
one which
is complete to the wall head and has no later additions. No longer visible beneath the
vegetation are a courtyard with walls nine foot
high and the remains of the Chapel of St Mary of Rait.
Read more about the buildings here

But despite its
antiquity and uniqueness, Rait's walls are overgrown with undergrowth and young trees sprout from the wall heads, their
roots boring into the 800 year old mortar that still holds the stones in place.
For more images of the castle, click here

In recognition of its historical importance, Rait Castle is both a 'scheduled
ancient monument' and a 'Category A listed building''. Yet, and despite a new act going through the Scottish Parliament at the moment (March 2010), there is no burden on anyone to ensure that a scheduled monument does not fall down. The owner is
obliged to do nothing that might damage the
structure but need not ensure that it remains standing.

The government agency tasked with
dealing with all scheduled monuments is
Historic Scotland.

This website is part of a
campaign to clear the site, remove trees from the walls before their roots
seriously damage the building and make a record of everything of historical interest within the barmkin wall. For the latest news
click here